The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 67

CHAPTER VI. room was left in the religious system of Moses, e.nd which wa.s designed to correct T.IIE vow OF T.JIE NAZ!nITE (vers. 1-21). and supplement in its spiritual freedom the Note.-The Hebrew Nazir hos been written artificial routine of that system. As the pro- Nazorite in English under the mistaken im- phetic office might be exercised by women, pression tha.t there is some'. connection be- so the Nazirite vow might be taken by tween Nazir and No.zarene (Matt. ii. 23). A women. In either case we find a tribute to and a recognition of the Divine liberty of the very little reftection will show that "the Holy Ghost, and an anticipation of the time Nazarene" not only was no Nazir, but that when the spirit of self-devotion should bs he even took pains to let it be seen that he poured c,ut without distinction upon men :ml was not. John the Baptist was the Nazir of women. Shall ■eparate themselves to vow the New Testament, and in all outward a vow of a Nazarite, to separate them.salve; llllto the Lord. , Rather, " shall nrnkc a things the contrast wns strongly marked solemn vow, a Ne.zirite vow, to live con- between them (Luke vii. 14, 33, 34; John secrated unto the Lord." Tho two wonls ii. 2). translated ''separate" arc not the so.me. Tlw first (from pala, to sever, to consccmtc, tn Ver. 2.-Either man or woman. It was distinguish as exceptional) is of somewhat not a little remarkable that women could be doubtful use here. In J uclges xiii. 19 it Nazirites, because, generally speaking the appears to be usod as an intcnsitivc, "dhl religious condition of women under th~ law wonderously," and the Septnagiut hns here was so markedly inferior and so little con- µ•ya>.w, ,i,(qra, uixrlv. The other won! sidered. But this is altogether consistent (from itJ, to separate) is used in a general with the trne view of the Nazirite vow, viz., sense in Gen. xlix. 26 ; Deut. x.x.x.i.ii. 16, or that it was an exceptional thing, outsi ie the with the addition, "unto the Lord," ns iu narrow palo of the law, giving scope and Judges xiii. 5. It had, however, acquired a allowance to the free movements of the Spirit technical sense before this, as appears from in individuals. In this too it stood on the Levit. xxv. 5, 11, where the undressed vines tJame plane as the prophetic office, for which oro called " Naziritcs " as r~a:ling the :-c-.• 44 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [oa. v1. 1-21.